OntoProCap: An Ontology for Process Capabilities for Formal Modeling and Semantic Interoperability

Abstract

This paper presents OntoProCap, an ontology for process capabilities to support formal modeling and semantic interoperability in chemical processes, e.g., hydrometallurgical processes used in metal recovery from pre-treated electronic waste. The ontology structures capabilities into storage, transformation, and transport categories based on the process definition in IEC 60050 351-42-33, ensuring comprehensive coverage of process elements. It is developed by systematically reusing and extending existing ontologies, particularly OntoCAPE, and aligning with top-level and domain ontologies, such as Provenance Ontology (PROV-O), Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), and Capability, Skill, and Service (CSS)-related ontologies. The applicability of OntoProCap is demonstrated through two use cases: formal process modeling using a recipe editor and integration into the Capability Description Submodel within an Asset Administration Shell (AAS). Results show that OntoProCap enables consistent semantic representation and supports capability-based matching between process requirements and resource capabilities.